Drawing is a fun pastime that can get your creative juices flowing. But what happens when you are drawing a person and realize you don’t know how to draw a nose?
Drawing a nose can be one of the most difficult aspects of the human face. It’s difficult to get the proportions just right, while also achieving the 3D look.
Don’t leave your drawing unfinished. Keep reading to learn all about how to draw a nose so your drawing can have the exact look you want it to.
Tips for How to Draw a Nose
Before you dive right in, take a few minutes to read the following tips you should keep in mind as you learn how to draw a nose.
- Draw the eyes and mouth first: this will make it easier to place the nose.
- Start at the midpoint: despite common belief, the top of the nose aligns with the tops of the eyes.
- Start with the basic triangle shape: you can adjust to add more unique characteristics later.
- Finish with the bottom of the nose: the bottom of the nose should reach the top edge of the lips. This can be the hardest part to draw.
- Add nostrils last: nostrils are the easiest part to add and should be added last.
Now that you’ve got a few tips to keep in mind, it’s time to take a look at the steps to draw a nose.
Easy Steps How to Draw a Nose From the Front
When a character on paper is facing you, their nose will look much less like a triangle than when you are drawing them from the side. Here is a quick guide for drawing a nose from the front.
Step 1: Start with a Circle
As weird as it may seem, you will want to begin with a circle in the middle of your paper. The size of this circle will determine the size of your nose.
Step 2: Draw Vertical Lines
Draw two vertical lines coming from the center of the circle towards the top of your paper.
Step 3: Draw Curved Lines
From a point just outside of the circle, draw a curved line to the bottom edge of the circle. This is creating the exterior of the nostril. Do this for both sides of your nose.
Step 4: Shade Along the Straight Line
Shade along the outside edge of one of the vertical lines. Continue the shading around the bottom portion or tip of the nose to give it a 3D look.
Shade the other side, in the same way, to make it look as if the character is facing forward.
Step 5: Connect the Bottom
Connect the ends of the two curvy lines you drew earlier to create the bottom of the nose.
Step 6: Draw Nostrils
Along the bottom of the nose, decide where you want to place your nostrils, and draw slightly flat circles. Remember that from the front, the full nostril won’t be visible to the viewer. Shade these in.
Step 7: Final Shading
You should have a generic nose on your paper. Give your nose character using shading.
You can use shading to place the bridge, adjust the size of the nose, or even give it a crooked look. Don’t forget to shade the outside edges of the nostril portion as well.
Easy Steps How to Draw a Nose From the Side
Drawing a side view nose is actually easier than drawing a nose from the front as it relies on shading a lot less. Here are the steps for drawing a nose from the side.
Step 1: Draw a Circle
Draw a circle in the middle of your page.
Step 2: Draw Vertical Lines
Draw two vertical lines from the center of your circle, but draw them towards one side of your circle or another, depending on which way you want your character to face.
Step 3: Draw a Horizontal Line
Draw a horizontal line in your circle. It should be close to the bottom, and slightly to the direction you are drawing the nose, looking as if it will connect the two lines you drew above, but not quite.
Step 4: Draw 2 Lines
From the end of the line you drew above (the side where there is more room) draw two lines coming from the end. These two lines should be perpendicular to each other and meet at a corner.
Step 5: Draw Two L Shapes
On the side that your character will be facing, draw a small L that can almost encompass the lines you drew above. On the other side draw a large L. These are the nostrils
Step 6: Connect the L
Connect the larger L with the circle using a curve diagonal line to create the nostril.
Step 7: Shading
Shade along your 2 vertical lines, as well as over to the top of the large L to create the look of a nose. Shade in the nostril you added in step 6.
Remember, your character should only have one nostril visible when they are facing the side.
Use shading to add any unique characteristics you like to the nose.
Now that you know the basics of how to draw noses, take a look at some of the easy nose drawing projects below to learn to draw different types of noses.
15 How to Draw a Nose: Easy Drawing Projects
1. How to Draw an Anime Nose
Anime noses are notoriously small, so small that they often blend in with the rest of the face. There is no need to draw a strong bridge when you draw an anime nose.
Most of the time you will be drawing a line with a small end. Follow these instructions on Drawing For All to get started.
2. How to Draw a Cartoon Nose
While anime is technically a cartoon, it is a very specific type of nose. When you are looking to draw a cartoon that is not an anime, then you’ll want to check out these cartoon noses on Envatotuts.
There are instructions for female noses, male noses, and even baby noses—so practice by making a whole family.
3. How to Draw a Big Nose
Noses come in all shapes and sizes, and while you can use shading to make a nose crooked, this isn’t going to work when you want to make a nose bigger.
When you need a big nose, check out Pencil Kings where there is a tutorial that can walk you through making all types of unique noses for any character you have in mind.
4. How to Draw a Small Nose
Just as you may need a large nose for your villain, you probably also need a small nose for the beautiful heroine. Try sketching these small noses from Instructables to help you get the hang of the perfect small nose.
The best part is that there’s very little shading required for these types of noses.
5. How to Draw a Realistic Nose
Cartoon noses are great, but when you are sketching a family member, they likely won’t appreciate it if they give you one.
To learn how to sketch the most realistic noses possible, take a look at Rapid Fire Art. On this site, you’ll learn to draw a side view of a realistic nose.
6. How to Draw a Nose for Kids
Children like to draw too but oftentimes can’t master the shading needed for complicated nose drawing. Maybe your kid wants a nose for their character but doesn’t know how to do it.
Help them practice with this tutorial from Skip to My Lou that helps kids draw realistic noses that are at their skill level.
7. How to Draw African Nose
Those of African descent have a wildly different nose shape than those of European descent, and therefore normal guides won’t work when you need the perfect African nose.
Instead, take a look at I Draw Fashion to learn how to draw the unique curves found in the nose of an African woman.
8. How to Draw a Roman Nose
Want to be the next Michelangelo? Then you will need to know how to draw a Roman nose.
Roman noses are characterized by their strong and hard bridges. Follow the instructions on Jeff Searle to learn how to see and reproduce these unique bridge characteristics of the nose.
9. How to Draw a Rounded Nose
Drawing a rounded nose is just as easy as drawing a straight one, it may just take a little practice to get used to the softer lines you will need to implement to get the round look.
For pointers, head over to Arteza where they teach you to draw a rounded nose in just 5 steps.
10. How to Draw Marilyn Monroe’s Nose
Marilyn Monroe is one of the most iconic women of all time, especially when it comes to her small, yet slightly pointed nose.
Learn how to draw it on DragoArt, where you can also find instructions for drawing the rest of her face if you need help with that as well.
11. How to Draw a Portrait Nose
Has a friend asked you to make a portrait of them? Before you begin you’ll need to learn how to draw a portrait nose.
You can find all the directions on Arty Factory, where they will go in-depth about the shading you will use so you can get your friend’s nose just right.
12. How to Draw a Detailed Nose
Sometimes your drawing may be centered on the nose. When this is the case, you will want to draw as realistic of a nose as possible.
You can do this by following the directions on Envatotuts. There are an extensive number of steps, but once you see the final product, you will be glad you went through them all.
13. How to Draw an Elderly Person’s Nose
As people age, their face changes, which includes their nose. Typically, the nose gets larger as people age, and the skin around the nose gets a little looser, making the nose more defined.
Find out just how to draw the same nose at four different ages on Easy Drawing Tips then you can age your own drawings as you please.
14. How to Draw a Baby Nose
Just as people look different when they are old, so too do they have different noses when they are a baby. Babies typically have noses with much less definition than adults.
You can learn how to draw them by following this tutorial on Drawing How To Draw Step by Step Tutorials.
15. Quick Nose Drawing
In a hurry, but need to know how to draw a nose? Check out ArtsyDee where you can learn to draw a realistic-looking nose in just 9 steps. She only teaches the front view, however, so if you need a side view you’ll have to look elsewhere.
How to Draw a Realistic Nose Step by Step
Drawing a nose doesn’t do you any good if it doesn’t look realistic. Having a fake-looking nose on a character can ruin the entire vibe of your drawing. Don’t panic though, as the steps below can help you to draw a realistic nose.
Step 1: Draw a Circle
Start by drawing a circle in the center of your page. Don’t make it too large as this circle will dictate the end size of your nose.
Step 2: Draw 2 Curved Lines
Draw 2 curved lines protruding from the top of the circle. There should be one on each side of the circle.
Step 3: Draw a Horizontal Line
Draw a horizontal line through the middle of the circle, turning the bottom half of the line into a diamond shape to accommodate the nostrils.
Step 4: Draw Triangles
From the edges of this diamond, draw triangles that connect to the two curved lines you drew earlier.
Step 5: Shade the Bridge
Shade the two curved lines, as well as around the bottom of the circle which will become the tip of the nose.
Step 6: Draw Nostrils
At the bottom of the triangle and diamond shapes, add two nostrils. You can do this with a single curved line at the bottom of the circle.
Step 7: Shading
Shade the nostrils, then shade the rest of the nose into the shape and style you desire. Use a blending pencil to blend it all together and you have yourself a realistic-looking nose.
How to Draw a Nose FAQ
Is the Nose Hard to Draw?
Many people think drawing the nose is difficult because it is an irregular shape. But the truth is, you can draw a nose using regular shapes, thus it isn’t that hard to draw a nose at all if you know how to start.
Why is the Nose Important in Drawing?
The nose is what ties a person’s face together. Without the nose, you may find that your drawing looks strange or distorted, which is why it is important to work to get the nose just right when you draw.
How Do You Get Better at Drawing Noses?
The best way to get better at drawing noses is by practicing. Look up a couple of different types of nose tutorials and draw them over and over again until you get the hang of it.
Before long you will have a page full of noses and be well on your way to drawing the perfect nose.
Conclusion
Overall, learning how to draw a nose is no easy feat. It takes practice, patience, and quite a bit of shading. But if you never attempt to learn how to draw a nose, you will never get better.
No matter where you want your drawing skills to take you, it’s important to learn how to draw a nose. So pick one off of this list, and practice it a few times on a rainy day until you are happy with the result. You may just be surprised by how easy noses are to draw after all.